


Where the Wild Roses Grow

by homeros



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, zuko gets, zuko wants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-04-07 20:25:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14088978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homeros/pseuds/homeros
Summary: In which Zuko desires nothing more than the embodiment of a rose.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on: https://youtu.be/lDpnjE1LUvE

It only took one look. One simple glance.

Skirts were flowing, men were smoking and food was being served. Every important man was present, every woman with the tiniest bit of prestige was there.

And the guest of honour sat on the seat next to the throne, watching, observing.

They all came for him: from every corner of the country, only to see _him_. To witness the official return of the banished prince. A feast, that would last three days.

It had been the first day he had been recognized as the true heir and the first day he had seen you.

You had been dancing, and Zuko had been staring at you the whole evening. You were young and beautiful as a storm.

' _The wild rose_ ', his sister stated as she stood beside him, leaning against a pillar with a drink in her hand.

' _What?_ '

' _The girl you've been looking at._ '

He peered at you again.

' _What about her?_ ', he asked as you danced, your scarlet dress fitting perfectly. Too perfectly.

' _The wild rose, the men call her. Beautiful, yet untouchable. Heir to some great company_.'

' _Why do you tell me this?_ '

' _Because you want her._ '

He shot her a deadly glare. ' _Says who?_ '

Azula rolled her amber eyes and sighed. ' _I know you, Zuko. You want her, I can see it. You're still my brother after all, even though I'd prefer it to be different sometimes_.'

Zuko ignored her comment and kept silent, the thought of sharing this with his sister not seeming very appealing to him.

She sighed again and handed him her beverage. ' _Here, drink._ '

He did as she said and the princess bid him to go talk to you. And so his royal feet carried him over to you.

It only took one look. One simple glance. You saw him coming and stared in his eyes and smiled.

Within that very moment, Zuko was ran over by a hurricane of emotions (lust and hunger, dominance and power) and levitated inside in the strangest way.

Your lips were the colour of the roses. The roses, yes, the ones that grew down the river in the garden, all bloody and wild.

And at night he thought of them as his shadow roamed the halls of the palace. He stopped in front of the door and knocked.

He found you lying on the bed, still dizzy due to the intoxication of your drinks. Yet your eyes were open and you gasped.

' _Your grace, wh- what are you doing here?_ '

' _To see if you're feeling better._ '

_Liar_. He closed the door.

He watched your every movement, every action. You propped yourself up and forced a smile.

' _Well, thank you, your grace, I'm feeling much better._ '

But still not well enough to depart, he had decided earlier when you said something similar, so he had given you a chamber.

The candle, the only source that provided light, was placed on a drawer, and the former exiled prince sat down on the edge of the bed, near your feet.

' _Tell me, why do they call you 'the wild rose'?_ '

' _I- I do not know, your grace, for my name is Elisa Day._ '

' _Elisa Day_ ', he repeated. Your name, a curse on his lips.

' _Yes._ '

And he inched closer.

No one had been able to tame you yet. A pure, innocent rose, not meant for the greedy hands of common men.

But the prince could, and you both knew. You dared not think of the wrath if you'd disobey.

The light dimmed and your trembling subsided in his sure embrace.

Anxious, you were, for he would be your first man, and when the incarnation was almost complete, he wiped away the tears that ran down your face. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zuko desires nothing more than the embodiment of a rose.

The second day was almost the same, but with other dancers and dances, new performances and different singers. Yet all this didn't matter: the prince was occupied with only one thing.

During the day he kept you busy, so you would talk to no other man than him.

He gave you a new dress, one that he had picked himself, that made you even more magnificent. 

You truly, undeniably were more beautiful than _any_ woman he'd seen. And he'd seen a lot of them.

You'd walk by his side the whole day, because he made you do so, and he smiled because of that.

He showed you around the palace, every hall, every chamber. 

The astonished look on your face whenever you entered a new room was the only thing he desired. And he felt proud, for one day this all would be his and he'd give it to you.

The only thing he wanted.

The only thing he _didn't_  want, was men looking at you. Smiling at you, talking to you. He absolutely hated it, even though he wasn't any better. He was just lucky to be in the right position to feel so.

As you walked through the endless gardens of the Fire Nation Palace, he asked you if you knew where the wild roses grew, ' _so sweet and scarlet and free_?'.

Your answer was negative, so he took you to the flowers that shared your name.

During the evening he kept you drunk, so you would need to stay another night, unable to go home. 

You dared not say no to him each time he brought you a new drink, and he took advantage of it. 

In the end, you were feeling as light as ever in your head and moved unsteadily. 

The moon had just started to give your hair a silver glow and he already took you to your chamber.

Your body was gently placed on the bed, and your face was a kaleidoscope of feelings, a complete mystery to the prince, so he asked you to give him your loss and your sorrow.

You nodded your head and did, and when the fire was about to burst, you clutched the first thing you could grab with your hand ever so tight.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the sheets or a piece of cloth, but one of the wild roses he had given you earlier that day. Dots of dark red covered your fingers and palm and your prince kissed them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zuko desires nothing more than the embodiment of a rose.

The third, last day, when the staff was breaking their fast, the young prince took you to the roses once again.

A bit farther this time, to the place where a sapphire stream divided the landscape in half, surrounded with thick bushes, red roses adorning them.

' _They're even prettier here_ ', the prince explained, ' _in the morning light._ '

And so were you.

You blossomed at his lips the way roses do when the sun shines. 

And to his greatest surprise... he didn't feel the same way anymore.

He didn't feel any feeling for that matter.

His eyes turned into a cool, stoic amber that met yours and he tried to give it a place. 

You asked him what was wrong and he stayed silent.

He thought of you, and found you to be a simple flower bud before he found you. Then, he had turned you into a full rose, red and enchanting and delightful.

Now, you weren't a hazy and sweet dream anymore. A vision, you used to be, a fantasy he desperately tried to realize.

You had become a quest that he had conquered, a flower withered.

But it couldn't be true; he had to try again. Yet it resulted in your lips parting once again, your body lying on the ground, and the prince feeling nothing. The illusion was gone.

He suddenly was in an absolute state of indifference and you moved him no more. So in only a few seconds, Zuko put you out of his mind, as if shedding a skin he didn't need anymore.

The wind light as a thief, you closed your eyes and enjoyed the first beams of the sun on your face, suspecting nothing.

He whispered something and you couldn't understand. And _just_ when you were about to ask, you decoded his muttering and it was too late, for a rock came down with great force to your temple.


End file.
